Aurora Grove Gazette

September 2015

Aurora Grove Public School Gazette

Pr incipa l : Donna Ford Super intendent: Chr is Sare l las Trustee: Peter Adams - Luchowski

905 727-4435 905 884-4477 905 713-1729

LEARNING & TEACHING Staff Changes Welcome back to another school year! Aurora Grove Public School has been fortunate to be staffed with skilled educators and educational workers who care for your child’s education. We have new members of the Aurora Grove PS team. We look forward to the strong contribution the staff will make to the well-being and learning of all Aurora Grove PS students.

Staff Program

Mr. Peters Caretaking Team

Mrs. O’Brien

Mr. Sedore

Mrs. Hayworth School Office Team

Mrs. Brandon

D. Ford School Administrator

Mrs. MacMartin (Primary, Junior) Special Education Team

Mrs. Beal-Nacevski (Intermediate)

Mrs. Desouza, Ms. Glenister, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Savage, Mrs. Song, Mrs. Stockman, Mrs. Van Bemmel

Educational assistant Team

Mr. Loudaros Mrs. Burbano

Special Programs (i) Autism Spectrum Disorder Team (ii) Aquired Brain Injury Team

Mme Lombardi, Mme Umnikova, M. Carpani Mme Lamensa, Mme Lemyre, Mme Koros Mlle Burey, Mlle Phillips

French Immersion Team (i) Grade one (ii) Grade two (iii) Grade one and two coverage teachers

Mrs. Brouckxon Mr. Zunker Mrs. Dickson Mme Gagnon

The Arts (i) Visual Arts – primary and junior; library (ii) Visual Arts - intermediate (iii) Vocal & Instrumental music – junior and intermediate; Second language (English) teacher (iv) Second language (French) teacher – junior and intermediate

Mrs. Davidson Reading recovery

Mrs. Wolf, Mrs. Walkley-Sherman, Ms. Morison, Mrs. Drodge, Mrs. Abballe, Ms. Ellis

Kindergarten

Mrs. Cresswell, Mrs. Cowl, Mrs. Devane Primary Team

Mrs. Ponikvar, Mr. Zunker Junior Team

Mr. Mako, Mrs. Georgacopoulos, Mrs. Zebic Intermediate Team

We offer best wishes to Mr. Macey, Mrs. Fisher-Taylor and Mrs. Ludlow who are working at different locations; and to Mrs. Turner who is now retired from teaching. One of our community partners in the building is York Professional Day Care which provides before and after care services to many of our families. Also known as ‘Kids Club’, this program and service also has new staff we’d like you to know about:

Aurora Grove Gazette

Page 2 Aurora Grove Gazette

Staff Program

Miss Kelli Miss Laura Mr Brendan

Kids Club grades 1-6

Kids Club grades 1-6

Kids Club Kindergarten

‘Kids Club’ runs in rooms 125, 127 and 128. ‘Kids Club’ – Kindergarten runs in room 127. Use of Personal Electronic Devices The expectations for students who are permitted to bring to school and use electronic devices are the following:

no devices are to be brought to school*

students found using personal electronic devices without teacher knowledge or permission will be required to hand over the device to the teacher immediately; personal devices will be released to the parent at the end of the school day from the school office

parents are reminded to communicate with their child by contacting the school office rather than texting child directly so that the school can appropriately attend to matters of student safety and well-being

neither the school nor the school board are responsible for the loss or damage to personal electronic devices as these are not school board issued learning materials

* Teachers in grades four to eight review the ‘Bring your own device’ (BYOD) policy with their students. The purpose of this policy is for students with parental awareness to enter into an agreement of the intentional use of technology which may include personal devices to support their learning at school. The purpose of these expectations is to ensure that all students remain focused on the learning engagements as they develop respectful and safe use of personal technology during school hours. The school staff appreciates your understanding and co-operation with regard to this matter of communication and student safety.

ENVIRONMENT, ENGAGEMENT & WELL-BEING\EQUITY & INCLUSIVITY Health & Safety Week The York Region District School Board is committed to providing safe learning environments for all students. To support this endeavour, the week of September 28 - October 2, 2015 has been designated “YRDSB Safety Awareness Week”. All public elementary and secondary schools across the region will be featuring activities and events that highlight various facets of safety at school and in the community. In addition, and as part of the Safety Week activities, all schools in the York Region District School Board will be conducting emergency preparedness exercises. All YRDSB schools will be implementing the required lockdown and hold-and-secure school emergency responses (this is taking the place of our former Code Red response). Lockdown: A school emergency response to the presence of an armed intruder or other similar violent threat within the school. Hold-and-Secure: Protective measures applied in school buildings under circumstances of security concern due to threats to school occupants from events occurring near the school. The purpose of the lockdown and hold-and-secure responses is to minimize risk to students and staff and to facilitate the work of emergency personnel in the case of a serious emergency for which school evacuation is not a practical solution. In advance of the drill, staff and students review protocols and expectations during an emergency with all staff, students, and affected partners. Safe Play...Always In order to prevent physical injury and because of our concern for student safety, students at Aurora Grove P.S. are expected to avoid activities that involve aggressive play and touching. Activities that are not acceptable include wrestling, piggy-backing, tripping, pushing, shoving, body-checking, poking, punching, and other forms of play in stairwells, hallways and playgrounds. During recess breaks, students are able to play organized games such as basketball and soccer as well as activities such as skipping and tag. In order to help our students with this issue, and encourage respectful student interaction, we follow a “HANDS OFF” understanding at the school. Creating Safe & Healthy Schools: Allergy Alert Staff and parents are responsible for creating safe and healthy environments for students. This is an additional

Aurora Grove Gazette

challenge for schools where children with allergies attend, especially life-threatening allergies. Every precaution must be taken to create a risk-free environment. To minimize potentially fatal allergic reactions (as there are implications for the whole school, not just individual classrooms, it is important that parents communicate a life-threatening allergy or medical condition to the school as soon as they are aware of it. Notify the principal and your child’s teacher so that steps are taken to create accurate records and inform staff of the established protocol.

We Are A Nut Sensitive School - no peanuts or nuts

Please see page 50 of the Guide to the School Year 2015 - 2016 for Allergy information.

Healthy & Safe Classroom Celebrations We will continue with our Health & Safety Classroom Celebration program again this year. For those parents/ guardians who wish to acknowledge their child’s birthday in the classroom by supplying a food item, please feel free to bring: air popped popcorn, baked chips or pretzels, cheese cubes with whole wheat crackers or fruit (e.g., fruit kabobs). For other classroom celebrations (Halloween, Winter Break, Valentine’s Day, End of Year) considerations still need to be made to promote healthy eating practices by bringing in a balance of foods (“treats” and healthy food choices). Please remember that we are a Peanut/ Nut Sensitive School - no peanut or nut products at AGPS! Thank you for your cooperation with this health and safety initiative.

School Assistants at Aurora Grove Just a reminder - our School Assistants are staff members, too! Administration is confident in our School Assistants’ abilities to handle situations as they arise. They fulfill an essential role and as such, students are to give them the same respect as they would to teachers, caretakers and educational assistants. (Please remember to address school-related issues with School Assistants at school during school hours). Freedom of Information Throughout the school year, your child’s identity and other information may be shared beyond the classroom and the school (e.g., fundraising events that may attract media attention, recordings/displays for events such as Arts Nights, seasonal celebrations, etc.). Please notify the school in writing if you wish to restrict the use of your child’s personal information (e.g., display of work in the hall, photos, interviews by press, etc.). Thank you.

Board’s Right to Search and Seizure Students and parents are reminded of the Board’s right to search and seizure where reasonable concern over the presence of materials deemed inappropriate for the school environment are suspected, and that appropriate consequences based on the Board’s Caring & Safe Schools Policy will be initiated. If in doubt regarding the appropriateness of particular items for the school environment, students and /or parents should contact the school principal.

Valuables The school and school Board will not be held liable for theft or damage to personal property. Therefore, parents and students are strongly encouraged to leave all valuables at home. Card collections are not to be brought to school. The use of personal electronic devices at school requires a notice from the classroom teachers that is signed by the parent\guardian. Note: Any theft or damage to personal items will not be the responsibility of the school or YRDSB.

Taking Care of Our School Please remember to make full use of our waste and recycling containers conveniently placed both in and outside the school. We are working hard to be good caretakers of our community. Remember; every little thing we do contributes to the whole of who we are. Let’s strive to create a better place because you\we have been there.

Reporting to the Main Office We continue to require that all visitors report to the main office upon entering the school. This step will assist us in securing a comfortable and safe environment for all children at Aurora Grove P.S. Front doors are now locked 15 minutes following the morning bell, so you will need to ‘buzz-in’ using the call box at the main doors. If you are picking up your child at the end of the day, please wait in the front foyer of the school or outside, where your child will meet you. If you are visiting with the expectation of accessing the building, you are required to sign-in and wear a visitor badge issued by the office staff. This will assist staff in redirecting unidentified visitors to the office. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us to provide a safe and secure environment for all students at AGPS. Early Dismissal of Students

Page 3 Aurora Grove Gazette

Aurora Grove Gazette

When a student needs to leave early for an appointment, a note from a parent or guardian is required. Adults picking the child up are asked to report to the office and sign the child out in the appropriate binder. Playground Supervision After School We love to see the community using the playground after school. However, parents are responsible for the supervision of their own children who stay to play on the yard after our 3:30 pm dismissal. There is no supervision by staff at that time. Just a Few More Reminders * Please encourage your children to treat school materials with care. They are very expensive to replace. Students who lose or damage school materials (beyond normal wear and tear) will be required to reimburse the school. * Label your children’s clothes. Every year large amounts of clothing and footwear are unclaimed in our lost and found. * Call the school office each day your child is absent from school. * Join us at our School Council meetings. They are open to all parents.

ENGAGING PARENTS, FAMILY & COMMUNITY There are many ways parents, family and community members can connect with their child’s school to enhance their day-to-day well-being and learning experiences. Parent Invovlement Committees enhance parent contributions at the regional level in support of student well-being, learning and achievement, and they act as a direct link between parents, the director of education and the trustees.

School councils are responsible for:

• supporting and promoting parent, family and community engagement in support of student learning;

• participating in the development and implementation of the school improvement plan;

• communicating with, and providing ongoing advice to, the principal matters pertaining to the school; and

• collaborating with the principal to coordinate community resources that support student learning needs. School Policy 262.0

Meetings usually occur monthly and are held in the library beginning at 7pm. Nomination process: To be a voting member of Council, look out for the nomination form sent home at the beginning of the school year. Fill it in and hand it in at the office. You need to be present at the election meeting for your nomination to be valid. You will be notified of that meet date. Participants do not have to be a voting member of Council to participate in Council meetings or committees. All parents are welcome to attend any meetings. School Council activities: School Council involves keeping in touch with what is going on at the school, and with general information about the school. Concerns or ideas regarding the school as a whole are items that can be scheduled for discussion at council meetings. School Council is not, however, a personal platform for child specific items, issues or concerns. It is a team of volunteer parents and community members who want to make a difference at the school working alongside AGPS School administration to get things done, and positively impact our children’s school experience according to the school improvement plan. School Council membership: School Council has 12 voting members and an unlimited amount of non-voting parent participants. The executive positions include:

Chair - must have served on council for at least 1 school year

Vice Chair OR Co-Chair - should have in interest in taking on the chair position in the future

Co - Secretary (2) - takes minutes of the meetings

Aurora Grove Gazette Page 4

Aurora Grove Gazette

Treasurer - keeps track of expenses and returns of council

Community Rep - a non AGPS parent, one who represents the community All positions will be voted on at the October meeting, which will take place in the school library. School council is always interested in widening their membership. The first meeting of the new school year is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, 2015 at 7pm. The election of offices will take place then.

LIBRARY NEWS

Headphones

To keep your children healthy and engaged while using computers, we would like each student to bring

in their own headphones as soon as possible, to use for the audio part of computer lessons and programs. The

children will be reminded not to share or loan their headphones to others. The headphones or ear buds should

be brought to school in a zip-lock bag and the child’s name should be on the bag and headphones in permanent

marker. This is very important because many of our programs and activities involve sound and require the

students to follow audio directions. We wouldn’t want any of the children to miss out on these multi-sensory

learning experiences.

The lightweight headphones with a 3.5 mm plug, 1/8-inch stereo mini plug or USB connection are your

choices. There is a wide variety of choices and prices. If you opt for ear buds, please make sure they are “Kid

size” because the adult sets don’t always fit in their little ears and are very uncomfortable for the students.

Thank you very much for your kind assistance!

Library Volunteers

Would you like to volunteer for an hour a month in the library? This year we are going to try something

a little different.

We are looking for adult volunteers for "fine filing" or "shelf reading" the first week of the month.

This involves going through the various collections (picture books, juvenile chapter books, graphic novels and

non-fiction), and putting them back in order. They get a little jumbled as small hands browse through the

books.

We would start in the morning at 9:00 am, you may stay for as long as you are able 1\2 hour to 1 1/2

hours would be ideal. I have set the dates on different days so as to accommodate a variety of schedules.

Volunteers do not have to commit to all of the dates.

Wednesday, October 7, 2015 @ 9:00 am Wednesday, March 9, 2016 @ 9:00 am

Thursday, November 5, 2015 @ 9:00 am Thursday, April 7, 2016 @ 9:00 am

Tuesday, December 1, 2015 @ 9:00 am Friday, May 6, 2016 @ 9:00 am

Friday, January 8, 2016 @ 9:00 am Wednesday, June 1, 2016 @ 9:00 am

Tuesday, February 2, 2016 @ 9:00 am

Sign-up sheet in Griffin Hall - Thank you for your consideration.

Book Fair Volunteers

We are having our two annual Scholastic Book Fairs the weeks of September 29 - October 1, 2015 and

February 29 – March 3, 2016.

Volunteers are needed for hosting the class pre-viewing on the first day of the event; and, for running

the cash on the second day, and the mornings of the third and fourth days of the event.

Volunteers may sign up for half day blocks of time. Volunteers will also be needed on the evening of September

29 for the busy Meet the Teacher Evening.

ELL News from Mrs. Dickson

Please find a list of educational apps that support Primary and Junior ELL students through the

following areas to improve their Language Skills: Phonic development, Word Families, Verb Tenses, Sentence

Patterns, Paragraphs and reading fluency. The iPAD apps will help support the ELL language acquisition and are

Aurora Grove Gazette Page 5

Aurora Grove Gazette

useful for parents to support their child at home.

There are a number of translation apps, the selection of which depends on your purpose. The Translate

voice app is very effective for immediate communication. You speak in English or whichever language the ELL

student is using, then it translates it back to the other language. 20 languages are available.

SEPTEMBER SCHOOL BUS TRANSPORTATION NOTICE

During each summer Student Transportation Services of York Region (STSYR) may make adjustments to bus route schedules to accommodate new students and/or new school openings. As a result some students may experience changes in their bus route schedule and/or bus route number. If you wish to reconfirm bus stop service for September, please access www.schoolbuscity.com beginning the third week in August. If you are unable to find the information you require, please consult your school. During the first two weeks of school, students should arrive at their bus stop ten minutes early. After this, it is anticipated each bus route will develop its regular routine and service times. Transportation Eligibility In accordance with Board Policies, transportation is provided for students who live within their Home School attendance area and outside their grade appropriate Non-Transportation Zone. As indicated below, transportation eligibility will change throughout a student’s school career: All YCDSB and YRDSB students in grades JK-3 who live within 1.2 km of their school are not eligible for transportation. All YCDSB and YRDSB students in grades 4-8 who live within 1.6 km of their school are not eligible for transportation. All YCDSB students in grades 9-12 who live within 4.8 km of their school in a transit served area are not eligible for transportation. All YRDSB students in grades 9-12 who live within a transit served area are not eligible for transportation.

Parents of students entering grade four are encouraged to determine their child’s transportation eligibility and to make the necessary arrangements should their child no longer qualify for transportation.

Parents of students entering grade 9 who are eligible for transportation may review bus stop information by visiting www.schoolbuscity.com . Grade 9 students not eligible for transportation

Aurora Grove Gazette Page 6

Aurora Grove Gazette

Page 8 Aurora Grove Gazette

Aurora Grove Public School 415 Stone Road

Aurora ON L4G 6Z5 Phone:(905) 727-4435

Fax:(905) 726-9593 E-mail:aurora.grove.ps@yrdsb.ca

We’re on the Web!

http://www.auroragrove.ps.ca/

Aurora Grove Gazette Page 7

who wish to obtain York Region Transit information should visit their web site at www.yrt.ca or phone 1-866-668-3978.

Please check out our newsletters online at http://www.yrdsb.ca/schools/auroragrove.ps/ Under the ‘News & Events’ tab

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Day 2

School Council’s QSP

Fundraiser Kidk-Off

2:45pm

2 Day 3 3

4 5 Day 4 6 Day 5 7 Day 1

PHOTO Day

8 Day 2

Immunizations -

Grade 7s & Grade 8

girls

Area Cross Country

9 Day 3 10

11 12 13 Day 4 14 Day 5 15 Day 1

MILK program starts

First Mad Science

afterschool program

16 Day 2 17

18 19 Day 3

FEDERAL

ELECTION

First Astoria Lunch

20 Day 4 21 Day 5

Grade 2s to VORC

22 Day 1

Grade 2s to VORC

Mad Science

23 Day 2

Grade 4s to VORC

24

25 26 Day 3

Grade 7s to VORC

Astoria Lunch

27 Day 4 28 Day 5 29 Day 1

Mad Science

30 Day 2 31

October 2015

BOOK FAIR - Sept 29 - Oct 1